Saturday, June 30, 2012

You
will need children's brooms and a rubber ball for this game. Children hit the ball with the broom
and try to get it in a box or designated area.

Bowling

Take
several empty liter bottles from water or soft drinks and arrange them in a
triangle. Children stand behind a
line and roll a ball, trying to knock down the plastic bottles. Count how many they knock down. Let children can take turns rolling the
ball and setting up the bottles for each other.

Hint! Fill the bottles with water if it’s a
windy day.

Paddle
Ball

To
make paddles, place two paper plates together and staple ¾ of the way
around. Insert the hand and use
like a paddle. Roll up a scrap
piece of paper to make a ball.

Balloon
Tennis

Bend
two coat hangers into diamond shapes.
Stretch the legs of panty hose over the diamonds and knot at the
end. Bend up the hook of the
hangers and tape it to make handles.
Blow up a balloon and you’re set of a tennis match!

That's the end of my activities for crazy summer days. You've still got two months to go, so revisit my June blogs whenever you need an idea. Next month I'll focus on some back to school ideas so you'll be all set when the school bell rings again!

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Let
each child find a rock that they can hold in their hand. After cleaning their rocks, let them
decorate the rocks with paints, wiggly eyes, yarn hair, etc. Ask the children to name their pet
rocks and make up a story about their rocks.

Rub A Dub Dub

Have children bring their washable dolls to
school. Fill tubs with water and
soap, and then have a bathing party.
Add sponges, wash clothes, and squirt bottles.

Adaptations:
Let children wash doll clothes and hang them on a clothesline with
spring clothespins.

School

Children sit on a bottom step. One child is selected to be the
“teacher.” The “teacher” takes a small pebble and hides it in one hand behind
her back. The “teacher” holds up
both fists in front of the first player.
If the first player correctly selects that fist that holds the pebble
then she can move up to the next step.
If she selects the empty hand she stays on the bottom step. The “teacher” hides the pebble and then
the second player gets a turn.
When every child has had a turn the “teacher” starts back with the first
player. The first child to reach
the top step is the new “teacher.”

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

An
appliance box or other large box can be a "castle" to a child. Cut out doors and a window with a
utility knife. (An adult will need
to do this!) Let the children
decorate with paints, markers, or crayons.

*You
can also make a car wash from an appliance box. Open the box and place on its side so it looks like a
tunnel. Cut the bottom off of a
large plastic garbage bag. Cut up
the seam on one side to open the bag.
Cut 2" strips up from the bottom of the bag stopping 3 inches from
the top of the bag. Tape the
garbage bag to the top of the box to create the swishers, and then let the
children ride their toys through the box.

Dream Sicle Drink

Orange juice

Frozen vanilla yogurt

Blender

Pour 2 cups of orange juice in the blender. Add several large scoops of the vanilla
yogurt. Blend until smooth.

Adaptations:
Make a "purple cow" by mixing grape juice with the vanilla
yogurt.

Geometry

Draw
basic geometric shapes (square, triangle, rectangle, oval, rhombus, circle) on
6” cardboard squares. Pass out the
shapes and challenge the children to find something on the playground with a
similar shape.

*Divide
children into small groups and let them make shapes with their bodies on the
grass.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Give each child a sheet of paper and ask
them to draw a picture of something fun you can do on a rainy day. (Children can dictate or write a
sentence to go with their picture.)
Put their pages together between construction paper to make a book.

Sidewalk
Artists

Children can write, draw pictures, or make
hopscotch with chalk on a paved surface.
They can also design roads on which to ride bikes and tricycles. Challenge them to use their
imaginations and create stores, traffic signs, and other symbols on the cement.

K.J. and Uncle Nick decorating the steps.

Monkey Tail Sandwich

You will need:

Hotdog buns

Small bananas

Peanut butter

Spread peanut butter in the hotdog bun and then
place the banana on top.

*Omit the peanut butter and use cream cheese if
children have allergies.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Take children outside in the morning. Point where is the sun coming up with
your right hand. That direction is
north. Point to the opposite
direction with your left hand.
That direction is west.
Your face is north and your back is south. Here’s a song to help you remember!

(Tune: “When Johnny Comes Marching Home”)

The sun is rising in the east, uh-huh,
uh-huh. (Point with right hand.)

The sun is setting in the west, uh-huh,
uh-huh. (Point with left hand.)

My nose is north. (Point in front of you.)

My tail is south. (Point behind you.)

And so I turn myself around (Turn around.)

And the sun keeps rising in the east.

Uh-huh, uh-huh.

Human
Sun Dial

Have one child face north at 9:00 in the
morning. Mark where they are
standing and draw their shadow with chalk. Have the child stand in the same spot and record their
shadow at various times in the school day.

Pinata

Staple
two paper plates together ¾ of the way around with the insides of the plates
facing each other. Decorate the
outside of the plates with markers, paints, and paper scraps to look like a
clown, sun, bear, etc. Blue on
tissue paper streamers. Fill the
inside with goodies and then staple the rest of the way around. Punch a hole in the top and tie with
string to a long stick. Blindfold
children and let them swing at the moving piñata with a rolled up newspaper.

*You
can also make a piñata from grocery sacks. Double the sacks and fill with goodies. Fold the top half of the bag over the
bottom of a hanger and staple.
Decorate with tissue paper, paints, etc.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

We just had the
FIRST College of Charleston Early Childhood Summit.It was soooooo AWESOME!The teachers who attended were the BEST!You know that little child who sits in
the front of the room and smiles and takes in every word you say?Well, every teacher and student who
attended was that gold star student!!!I’m so pumped!!!I can’t
wait to do it again next year!

Here are some
fantastic ideas that the teachers shared!

Friday Dance
(Tarsha Walker)

Come on, everybody
let’s take a chance.(Motion arm
“come” as you move from left to right.)

It’s time to do
the Friday dance.(Thumb over
shoulder as you dance.)

Clap your hands
(clap)

And stomp your
feet.(stomp)

Come and do the
Friday dance with me.

It’s Friday!(Throw arms in the air.)

It’s Friday!(Throw arms in the air.)

It’s Friday!(Throw arms in the air.)

YEAH!

Bubbles(Erin Yarborough)

To help children
remember to walk quietly in the hall, tell them to hold a bubble in their
mouths.When you get to your
destination they can “pop” their bubbles.

Graduation
Program(MaryBeth Clark)

For graduation at
Lambs Elementary they asked their students to bring in crazy glasses and hats
(which they turned sideways).They
made microphones out of toilet paper rolls wrapped in tinfoil.A bright colored letter was printed on
each microphone.The children
pranced into the cafeteria looking like “sweet” rappers and singing “Happy
Birthday Letters.”

I’m MAD!(Joan Lee-Ikemoto)

We all thought
this idea for diffusing anger was fantastic!

Teacher:Make an angry, mad face.(The teacher demonstrates this.)

Child/children
respond.

Teacher:Ball up your fists and squeeze them
tight.(Demonstrate)

Child/children
show their fists.(Fist is a good
way to show knuckles, which is on the DIAL 3 Test.)

Teacher sings as
she pounds her right fist onto her left palm:

I’m
MAD!!I’m MAD!

I’m
MAD, MAD, MAD!

I
want

To
be

So
BAD, BAD, BAD!(Put hands on hips
and stomp 3 times.)

I
think I’ll eat a worm for supper!

Peanut Butter (Hedrick
Lewis)

While singing the “Peanut
Butter” song let the children march and pretend to spread peanut butter on
their arms.

Walking Down
the Hall (Carin Ragos)

Whatever theme you
are working on (bears, butterflies, cars, etc.), invite the children to walk or
move that way down the hall.If
they are not quiet or can’t follow directions they have to walk like a “regular
person.”

Put the homemade ice cream mixture in the 1 lb.
can and tape the lid on. Put the
smaller can in the larger can and then pack it layers of ice and salt in
between. Place the top on and tape
it securely. Kick the can around
on the playground for 10-15 minutes until the ice cream freezes.

*You can do a similar activity by placing a sandwich bag of the ice cream mixture in a heavy duty gallon bag. Fill with ice and rock salt and toss. The ice cream will be runny, but children can poke a hole in the corner and suck it.

Using
a hammer and nail, make a hole in the bottom of a film container and in the
lid. (An adult will need to do
this.) Cut a piece of cord or
string that can easily go over the child’s head and thread it through the
holes. Decorate with stickers and
markers. Put a band-aid, the
child’s name and address, a piece of gum, etc. inside. These would also be handy to hold money on a field trip.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Divide the
children into teams with five or six players on each. Have the players line up single file behind a line and run
one at a time to a designated point and back. The first player tags the second player, who then runs the
distance. The first team to have
all players run is the winner.

*Ball Relays– Have the children pass a ball over their
heads and

under their
legs. The last person runs to the
front of the line and

continues passing
over and under. When the first
person is in his or her original position, their team wins the game. Relays where children must dribble a
ball, kick a ball, or throw a ball into a target can also be played.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Let
children choose a favorite book and take it out on the playground. Find a shady spot and enjoy reading
independently or with a friend.

Goofy
Golf

You
will need several empty cardboard containers or boxes. Turn the containers upside down
and cut an arch out of the bottom similar to a mouse hole. Set the containers up on the grass and
let the children practice hitting golf balls in the holes.

*You
can also make a golf course with hula hoops.

*Use
small brooms and tennis balls instead of golf clubs.

Measurement

Give
children rulers and let them measure objects on the playground. “Can you find something 2” long? Can you find something smaller than an
inch? What’s longer than
5”? How can you measure the
slide?”

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Get
scrap cardboard, a marker, tape, and you’ll be set to make your own fitness
trail. Cut the cardboard into 8” x
10” pieces. Write different body
and brain exercises on each card and tape to different locations on your
playground. For example:

10
jumping jacks

say
a nursery rhyme

8
windmills

count
backwards from 20

12
squats

name
your city, state, and country

15
sit ups

name
5 insects

7
push ups

sing
the ABC’s forwards and then backwards

Foot
Painting

Roll
out a long sheet of butcher paper on the sidewalk. Take two pie pans and pour a little paint in each one. Let one child at a time take off her
shoes, step in the paint, and then walk across the paper.

Banana
on a Stick

Peel
a banana, insert a popsicle stick, place on a cookie sheet and freeze. It’s a cool snack on a hot day. Grapes, strawberries, blue berries, and
many other types of fruit can also be frozen.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Ask
children to collect different items on the playground. (This will vary with the season and
your habitat.) Put their objects
together in a big pile. Ask the
children to put the objects that are alike together.

*Can
they sort them another way?

Body
Bubble Painting

Pour
a small amount of water in a plastic bowl. Add a big squirt of detergent and several drops of food
coloring. Beat with an egg beater
until the bubbles overflow. Let
the children “paint” their bodies with bubbles and then rinse off in a
sprinkler.

*You can also add food coloring to small bottles of bubbles and have children blow them onto a piece of paper.

Animal Picnic

Brainstorm foods
that animals eat. Write their
suggestions on the board. Let
children circle the foods that they eat as well. Offer those foods (carrots, celery, apples, nuts, berries)
for snack.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Squirt
shaving cream on windows and let children finger paint. Hose off with clean water.

Sticky
Picture

Cut
clear contact paper into small rectangles and give one to each child. Peel off the back and then let children
apply leaves, flowers, and other small objects to the sticky side.

*Cover
with another piece of contact paper and use as a place mat.

What’s
That Jive?

(Similar
to Red Rover)

Materials: none

Divide
the children into two teams and have them stand in a line facing each other 30
to 40 feet apart. One team calls
for a player from the other team with this chant:

(Child’s name), (child’s name)

What’s that jive?

Come on over

And give me five.

The
team calling the chant holds their hands out in front of them

with
their palms up. The child called
proceeds down their line giving each player “five” by slapping their
palms. If the child who is “it”
slaps the palms and then slaps under their palms, that child chases “it” back
to his or her original team. If
“it” is caught, he or she must return to the opposing team, but if not, the
chaser must joint “it’s” team. The
game continues with teams taking turns calling players from the opposite side.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Hint! Cut ovals out of reflective tape and
put them on index cards. Hide the
cards in bushes and trees and then hunt for them in the dark. They’ll look just like animal eyes
peeking out at you!

Thermometer

Hang
a large outdoor thermometer on your playground. Before going outside have children predict what the
temperature will be. Read the
thermometer when you go outside.

*Keep
a monthly graph of the temperature each day.

Driving
School

Have
a safety lesson about riding toys.
Draw parking spaces and road signs on the pavement with chalk and have
the children practice riding their bikes and obeying the signs. Make a driver’s license with the
child’s photo, name, address, and personal attributes.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Let
children construct boats from two toilet paper rolls stapled together. Glue a triangular piece of construction
paper to a craft stick and stick it between the rolls to make a sail. Use a tub of water or plastic pool to
float the boats. (These don't last long, but the children will have fun constructing them.)

*Mold
boats from aluminum foil. How many small toys can their boat hold before it sinks?

*Carve
a boat from a bar of Ivory soap.
Glue paper to a toothpick and insert it in the soap to make a sail. Make a raft from popsicle sticks. Lay down two sticks. Glue ten sticks on top of them. Dry and then decorate with markers.

*Give
children recycled materials (trash and scraps) to use to create boats and other things that float.

Life Preserver Sandwich

You will need the following

Bagel

Cream cheese

Blue food coloring

Fish Crackers

Add a few drops of blue food coloring to
the cream cheese. Let the children
spread the cream cheese on one half of a bagel. Decorate with 4

Seriation

Collect
sticks of different lengths and have the children put them in order from
smallest to largest.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Draw a hopscotch
design with chalk on a paved surface.
Write letters in each section for the children to identify as they hop
and play.

*You could also
write numerals or words on the hopscotch.

Back
Pack

You
will need a grocery sack, a small piece of Velcro, and two strips of fabric cut
2” by 24” for this project. Cut
off three sides of the sack half way down. Fold down the remaining side and secure with Velcro. To add straps, cut four 2 ½” slits on
the back. Thread the strips of
fabric through that and tie the ends in knots. Let children decorate with markers or crayons.

Cloud
Watch

When
there are cumulus clouds in the sky, have the children lay on their backs and
look for animals and other objects in the sky.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Oh, my goodness! I haven’t written a book report since high school! Let’s see if I can remember how to do this!

First, I feel like a kid who just learned to ride her bicycle! This is a challenge for me, but I want to pat myself on the back for learning something new. My techie mentor (Vanessa Levin) is an inspiring teacher who is helping me scaffold to a new level. If you are a dinosaur or a techie, TEACHING IN THE DIGIAL AGE is a great summer adventure. I’ve even learned how to use the QR scans in the book, which make it come alive. Here’s your ticket to this amazing journey:

Several years ago I purchased a Kitchen Aide stainless steel mixer with all the bells and whistles. I put it under the sink and it has sat there for 6 years. I NEVER used it because it was easier to get out my old hand held mixer. (I finally gave the Kitchen Aide to a friend last week.) Why am I telling you this? Well an iPad or interactive white board or any new tool doesn’t do you any good unless you KNOW how to USE it and you USE it to accomplish something. Author Brian Puerling wants to help you make the most of the technology tools you have to connect with children…open the door to a new world…reinforce learning…capture children’s interest…and take them into the future.

When I saw the chapter “Using Photographs and Images to Inspire” I thought it would be about using children’s photographs to make books, name cards- etc. Wrong! It was about the power and opportunities that are instantaneously available through technology. (A long time ago we had to go to a place called the library and spend hours looking for photographs.) Puerling gives examples of how photographs can be used to facilitate conversation, encourage desired behaviors, develop schema, create interest in the world and other communities, and enrich all areas of learning.

My favorite vignette from the book was a video with four-year-old Eddie. Eddie’s parents have done an outstanding job TEACHING Eddie how to use the iPad as they capture his interest in learning. I’m afraid too often parents use technology as a baby sitter rather than a one-on-one learning opportunity.

Now, here’s the grandmother teacher in me coming out. As wonderful and powerful as technology can be, don’t forget to turn it off and sing a song and do a finger play. Ask children to close their eyes and make pictures in their brains as you read a story. Imagination is the greatest tool of all!

And, here are a few hands on activities that popped in my head as I read the chapter!

Swiper

Have children hold up their index finger. Explain that is the finger they use on the iPad to swipe. It’s called “Swiper.” Put your index finger behind your back and begin singing the song below to the tune of “Where Is Thumbkin?”

Where is Swiper?

Where is Swiper? (Children repeat each line.)

Here I am. (Bring index finger in front of you and wiggle.)

Here I am.

Ready to swipe. (Move finger as if swiping.)

Ready to swipe.

Yes, I can! (Shake finger as if saying, “yes.”)

Yes, I can!

SWOOOSH! (Make a sound as you move your finger in the air.)

*Let children draw a face on a dot sticker and attach it to their fingernail.

iPads for All

Each child in your classroom can have her own iPad with this project. Place your iPad on the copy machine and make a color copy. Glue the photo to the inside of a pocket folder. Children can practice identifying letters, typing their names, spelling words, etc.

Singing Books

Use children’s photographs to increase print connections and create interest in letters and sounds.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Mix the dirt and flour with water until it molds
and sticks together. Shape into
cookies, pies, birds nests, and other shapes. Dry in the sun.

Mud
Painting

You’ll
need plastic containers, old paint brushes, paper, and some mud for this art
project. Collect samples of dirt
from several different areas in the plastic containers. Compare samples. Stir in water and paint with brushes or
fingers.

Hot Potato

Materials: ball, whistle

Children stand in
a circle and pass around the ball (hot potato). When you blow the whistle, the child holding the ball must
leave the circle. The game is
played until there is just one child left standing.

*This game can be
adapted easily to play inside.
Have the children sit in a circle and pass a beanbag while you play
music. When the music stops, the
one holding the beanbag is out of the game.

Fold a sheet of
paper in half. Cut in several
inches from each end about 1” down from the fold as shown. Bend each corner down to look like the
collar of a shirt. Add buttons, a
tie, and a special message inside.

Belt or Key
Rack

You will need
scraps of wood (2x4x10 works well), nails, and hammers for this project. Let children decorate the wood with
paints or markers. Next, let them
hammer 4 or 5 nails in the wood.
Attach a hanger to the back.

Tie Holder

Let children cover
a cardboard roller from paper towels with masculine wrapping paper. Insert a 24” piece of string and knot
the ends so it can be hung from a nail to hold ties.

Note! This is a great opportunity to talk
about different kinds of families.
Some children may not have a father living with them, so those children
can make a gift for a grandfather, uncle, or other special friend.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Go
on a walk and have children touch various objects. “How does it feel?”

Have
them close their eyes and try to identify objects by their sense of touch.

*Take
a listening walk where children close their eyes and try to identify different
sounds in the environment.

Number
Hunt

Take
several lunch sacks and write different numerals on each one. Give each child a bag and challenge
them to find a set and put it in the bag.
Let children share what they have found with their friends. Have children return the objects to
where they found them.

Hint! This can also be done with a partner or
in small groups.

Food
Color Dip

Fill
several small cups half way with water.
Add 10 drops of food coloring to each cup. Let the children fold a paper towel into a small square. Dip each corner in a different
color. Open and dry.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Fill the cup half way with water. Squirt in some dish detergent. Give children a straw and tell them to
BLOW! (If you'll put a pin prick
at the top of the straw, it's less likely that they'll suck up soapy water. I also have children practice blowing
on their hand with the straw before we begin so they'll get the idea.) The bubbles will spill over the cup and
are fun to pat on arms, legs, etc.
It's great to run through the sprinkler after you "paint" your
body with bubbles.

Adaptations:
Add a drop of food coloring to the solution to make colored bubbles.

Give children a pan of water and an egg beater. (Most children have never seen one of these before except in
books!) Add a squirt of detergent
to the water and let them "beat" up some bubbles.

Dot
to Dot

Take
chalk and write numerals 0-20 randomly on a hard play surface. Children start with zero and run, hop,
march, or skip to each numeral in order.

*Adapt
the amount to the ability of your students.

Mother, May I?

Materials: none

Children line up
with their backs to a wall. One
person is “mother” and stands about 30 feet in front of the others. One at a time “mother” names a child
and tells them a different motion they must perform. For example, baby steps, scissor steps, twirls, giant steps,
or frog leaps. The child must
remember to ask, “Mother, may I?” before performing the movement or he or she
is sent back to the starting line.
The first one to reach “mother” becomes the next “mother.”

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Each
child will need paper, a clipboard or cardboard to write on, and a pencil or
crayon. Have children spread out
in a comfortable area and write stories, poems, or descriptions of what they
see.

*Make clipboards from recycled corrugated
cardboard and a butterfly clip.

Can
Catch

You
will need a tennis ball and empty Pringle’s can for this game. Children bounce the ball and try to
catch it in the can. They can
place this game by themselves or with a friend.

Ants
on a Log

You
will need celery, peanut butter, and raisins for this project. Cut celery into 4” sections to make
your “logs.” Let children spread
peanut butter “mud” in the logs.
Place raisin “ants” on the peanut butter.

*For
children with nut allergies substitute cream cheese “snow” and use ladybug
“craisins.”

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Cut
paper grocery sacks into 12” squares.
Each child will need two.
Punch holes around the edges and then sew three sides together with
yarn. (Wrap a piece of tape around
the end of the yarn to make a needle.)
Stuff with newspaper strips and then sew up the fourth side. Sit “upon” it for a story, sing along,
or picnic.

*Let
children decorate the squares before sewing them together.

K. J. made this sit upon when he visited over Memorial Day. He was so proud and carried it everywhere he went. It reminded me what Eric Erikson understood about school age children. They are in the age of "industriousness" and love to create things.

Squirt!
Squirt!

Save spray bottles from cleaning products. (Make sure you rinse them out well
first!). Fill them with water and
let the children squirt each other, water plants, clean lawn furniture, etc.

Adaptations:
A sponge or paintbrush and a bucket of water will also entertain
children for hours. They can
sponge off a tree, their riding toys, or themselves. They can paint the house or playground equipment.

Hug Tag

Materials: none

Designate a playing
area. One child is “it.” “It” chases other children who must
“freeze” when they are tagged.
Players hug those who are “frozen” to “unfreeze” them

*Stoop Tag – Children stoop down on the ground when
they are tagged.

*Cartoon Tag – Children must name a cartoon show when
they are tagged.

*Shadow Tag – children must freeze when “it” steps on
their shadow.

*Sticky Tag – Children must hold the part of their
body that is tagged.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Tell
the children that you are going to go on an alphabet walk and look for things
that begin with letters of the alphabet.
Start with A and work your way through Z. Take a sheet of paper and write down the objects as the children
identify them. For example: A-acorn, B-bird, C-cloud, D-dirt, etc.

Singing
Tree

Ask
children to bring in old wind chimes and bells. Tie them to the branches of a tree and listen to the tree
“sing” when the wind blows.

Nature
Bracelet

Put
a piece of masking tape or packaging tape with the sticky side out on each
child’s wrist to make a bracelet.
Children attach small leaves, flowers, etc. to the tape to make a nature
bracelet.